No. 23 @RazorbackMGolf Set To Open Spring Season

BY ANDRES FOCIL

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The No. 23 Arkansas men’s golf team will begin its quest towards its fourth NCAA Championship appearances in the last six years on Saturday when it opens the spring season with a 36-hole first day at the Gator Invitational held at the Mark Bostick Golf Course. The 14-team that features five teams in the top 25 of the Golf/Word/Nike Golf Coaches Poll will take the par 70, 6701-yard course at 7 a.m. in a shotgun start. The Razorbacks will start on holes 1-3, playing alongside host Florida and No. 22 Florida State. Live scoring is available through www.GolfStat.com or www.ArkansasRazorbacks.com, while in-round Twitter updates can be found by following @RazorbackMGolf. Arkansas will unveil a five-man lineup of senior Sebastian Cappelen, sophomore Taylor Moore, sophomore Nicolas Echavarria, redshirt sophomore Kolton Crawford and redshirt senior William Meason. Cappelen, Moore and Crawford have been a staple in the lineup, as the trio played in all five events in the fall. Recently named one of 30 players on The Ben Hogan’s Watch List and currently No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), Cappelen finished in the top 20 in all five fall events, highlighted by a medalist showing at the Crooked Stick Intercollegiate. Cappelen put together a 71.5 stroke average over the 15 rounds, finishing under-par eight times. Moore quietly put together a solid fall season after earning SEC Co-Freshman of the Year honors in 2013. The Edmond, Okla. product tied for the team lead with two top 10s while producing a team-best 51 birdies. Moore was the team low-man in four rounds en route to a 73.8 stroke average. Crawford completes the trio that has participated in every event, as he turned in a counting score in his last nine rounds of the fall. Both Cappelen and Moore were busy over the winter break, putting together successful runs at major tournaments. Cappelen’s winter started with a top 10 showing at the Western Refining Collegiate All-American and concluded with a tie for third at the Patriot All-American. The Patriot All-American was part of a 10-day stay in Arizona for Moore, as he tied with Cappelen for third at the Patriot All-American before winning the inaugural Saguaro Amateur. Arkansas Lineup Sebastian Cappelen, Sr. Taylor Moore, So. Nicolas Echavarria, So. Kolton Crawford, R-So. William Meason, R-Sr. Zach Coats, R-Fr. Gator Invitational Field (Golf World/Nike Golf Ranking) Arkansas (23) Coastal Carolina College of Charleston Florida State (22) Florida Georgia Southern Jacksonville Lamar Liberty Mercer North Florida UAB (11) UCF (8) Vanderbilt (21)